Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal is confident of striking gold in the MCD election 2017 to be held on Sunday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing press conference after released party manifesto for MCD elections in New Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI Photo)

Even as his party has not been able to perform well in the five state Assembly elections this year and the recently-concluded Rajouri Garden bypoll in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal is confident of striking gold in the MCD election 2017 to be held on Sunday. There are at least three reasons: a) Rival BJP is facing huge anti-incumbency, charges of mismanagement and corruption after ruling the Delhi civic bodies for 10 years. b) AAP has made some changes to its strategy and hit the ground like its early days, knocking every door of Delhi residents. It has also halted its verbal war against PM Narendra Modi and made some big promises for Delhi. c)While another rival, Congress, is facing huge leadership crisis from within, AAP internal survey has predicted a full majority for the party.

Kejriwal has announced some big things for the city, which, according to him, has been crippled by the BJP-ruled MCD over the years. Last month, Kejriwal had promised he would make Delhi look like London if his party won the MCD election. He was talking in terms of cleanliness as several areas of Delhi state continues to face problems like garbage disposal, water logging etc. that lead to several vector-borne diseases. AAP has also made ‘Clean Delhi’ as one of the top agenda in its manifesto.

Kejriwal has promised he would personally monitor the functioning of the MCD if AAP wins. In an interview published in Hindustan Times today, the Delhi CM said, “BJP is seeking votes only, and only, in the name of Modiji. I would like to tell people that Modiji is not going to run MCD…MCD will only be run by Kejriwal.

Highlighting AAP’s focus on cleanliness in Delhi, Kejriwal accused the BJP-ruled MCD of having failed to keep the city clean for 10 years. “Delhi is the national capital, but there is so much of filth. There are mosquitoes all around, which lead to spread of dengue and chikungunya.”

In an interview with Hindi Daily Navbharat Times, Kejriwal accused the BJP-ruled MCD of converting Delhi into a dump yard and spreading Dengue-Chikungunya in entire Delhi. “Some people have started calling BJP a Dengue-Chikungunya party,” he remarked.

Kejriwal is confident that Delhi voters are fed up with BJP-ruled MCD and want to bring in AAP to realise their dream of a clean Delhi.

Among other things, AAP has also promised to rid the three civic bodies of Delhi of corruption. While releasing the AAP manifesto on Wednesday, Kejriwal had promised to make Delhi free of vector-borne diseases in the next three years, shut all landfills by 2019 and make the city spick and span within a year.

Besides, he also promised to give a “heavy blow” to mafia operating in the MCD.
(With agency inputs)